PAW participated in the EU Community of Practice on Peace Mediation (EU COP) on October 23-23, 2024 in Brussels. As part of the research-practice series on Negotiating Political Integration of Armed Groups, and in partnership with the Berghof Foundation, swisspeace, the Folke Bernadotte Academy, co-convened a group of distinguished international mediators, EU diplomats, UN Heads of Office and peacebuilding practitioners to discuss the practice guidance on Negotiating Political Integration of Armed Groups as part of peace processes. The panel discussions reflected on experiences and insights on how to negotiate armed groups’ political integration in an era of new conflict patterns and new approaches to peacemaking.
Key takeaways include advice that despite changes in geopolitical climate, peace mediators play a central role in incentivising armed groups’ pathways to political integration. Despite lack of ideological commitments, many armed groups represent key constituencies that aspire for political representation, but this pathway is not limited to the formation of political parties that participate in national-level politics. In many places, we need to find creative solutions to pave the way for political engagement that reflects the political environment armed groups are integrated into.
The panel was organised by:
Gyda Sindre (PAW and the University of York)
Véronique Dudouet (PAW and the Berghof Foundation)
Johanna Maria Hülzer (Berghof Foundation)
Jacqui Cho (PAW and swisspeace)
Mimmi Söderberg Kovacs (PAW and FBA)
Politics After War 